Office Organizing

As a CPO (Certified Professional Organizer), I've discovered
a surprising pattern among my clutter-prone, disorganized clients; they love
creating file systems! They tend to be
right-brained and creative, which promotes the desire for an attractive file
system. The problem comes after the
system is implemented; they don't use it.

My clients stare every day at examples of their personal and
professional failures; files and systems created and never used. They call me when they are at their wits end.
They call when the guilt becomes too much to deal with. They call when they are in danger of losing
their job. I love receiving their calls
because I know I can introduce solutions that work. Scansnap has become this organizers favorite
solution. It brings me great
satisfaction to see my clients feeling successful, guilt-free and working
efficiently. It's like ...

1.
Decide what part of the day is your most productive. Reserve that time for you. Use it for the tasks that require the most detail.

2.
Save the simplest tasks for the end of your day. You're more apt to finish simple tasks than
difficult ones at that point.

3.
Use a stacker file on or near your desk. Use only the ones that allow you to label each
section. This is an easy place to keep
things that need to be dealt with today or those things that are urgent. It keeps your desk from becoming a pile of
piles. Use your "15 minute end-of-day” time to clear out.

A.
To file/scan –
whether you or an assistant does the filing, you need a place for it

1. Holiday
Scents and Flavors – just like your home, your office can promote more
favorable image during the winter months.
All you need is a wonderful scent to greet your clients. Try using the Russian Tea idea from the "Home
Tips”. If you don't have a kitchen,
bring a crock pot to keep the tea hot.
Also, have a nice plate of cookies out for clients as they walk in. A candy dish filled with red/green wrapped
candy is a great welcome also.

2. Change of music - Remember to change to
festive music for the holidays. Data
suggests that employees work more effectively, stay calmer and happier when
they hear background music that brings back childhood memories of Holiday celebrations.

3. New Year plans - Everyone needs help
re-focusing when they return to work after the Holidays. Pass out new calendars ...

1. Drop the Ball!
– Choose not to "juggle” so many jobs each day.
Look at your schedule. Is there
anything on your "to-do” list that can be accomplished by your assistant or
another person in the office? Drop that
Ball! Let another person, who isn't
juggling, accomplish those things that you are tired of juggling.

2. Make
a daily appointment with yourself! – Block out a 15-minute chunk of time on
your schedule for personal time. (Be brave and set one in the morning and one
in the afternoon!) Use these minutes for you.
If you need to close your eyes and rest, do it! No guilt.
If you want to read e-mails, read away!
No guilt. If you want to call
your spouse or children and share some moments, do it! No guilt. Setting appointments with yourself gives you
the ...

The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500 provides
super fast and easy document scanning with "one-touch" operation. The
scanner itself is sleek and compact, taking up very little physical space.
Considering its benefits and reliable performance, the Fujitsu ScanSnap is an
affordable device for any office.

The ScanSnap immediately helps you realize these great benefits:

De-clutter your office of hard-copy documents

Free up valuable physical space by getting rid of large
bulky file cabinets and other physical paper storage products

Safely archive, protect and back-up all your documents
electronically

Enables you to find any document quickly, and lets you
share it immediately with others

Saves you time and effort in managing and archiving all
your documents

This is the No. 1 question in the minds of many home-based
business owners. Although many people struggle with creating an office
atmosphere that promotes productivity, doing so doesn't have to be difficult. Use
the following simple steps to create the stress-free home office you desire.

1. Take a fresh look at your desk. Ask
yourself some basic questions: Do you have clean areas for current projects? Are
there office supplies spilling out over your workspace? Do you know what's at
the bottom of the pile of papers? The answers to these questions typically
reveal a need to freshen up your desk and work area.

Sweep off
your desk; one piece at a time. Start with one corner and ...

I
wrote the following article for Fujitsu ScanSnap recently about the 3 things
that steal your productivity in your office. I hope you'll find some tips or
ideas to spur you on to a more productive office environment.

*****************************

As a
Certified Professional Organizer (CPO) I consistently see the same three
productivity issues in offices: paper, clutter and time. By implementing
some simple changes, you will be able to enjoy a more organized, productive
home office.

A. Paper

The
question I most often hear regarding paper is, "Should I have a paper or
paperless filing system?" This is a
personal choice with many variables, but which ever you choose, a good file
system is a must. Your paper needs to be
organized in a way that you can retrieve what you need quickly. In a paperless system, scanning allows for
quick retrieval because the computer can do the searching for ...